Abstract

Hydrostatically dominated forced flow over the asymmetric topography of the Darling Scarp, Western Australia, is modelled using a hydrostatic numerical mesoscale model and compared with observations. Simulations reproduce the essential features of wave overturning and the development of a shooting hydraulic flow. This response is dependent on the wind profile but not on the existence of a critical level. the high backsheared environment leads to a high ratio of the Brunt-Väisälä frequency to wind speed throughout the profile, resulting in short wavelengths, high nonlinearity and overturning. With the ratio of the halfwidth of the topography to the boundary-layer depth being small, the flow fields are shown to be sensitive to the boundary layer.